Parents and guardians of children with special needs work hard to make sure their child is well-taken care of. They advocate for educational accommodations and medical needs. They make sure their child is loved and cared for. Many parents worry what…
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Your son or daughter is in an exciting chapter in their life—college! You may still see the little girl with pigtails or the little boy with mud on his face, but your college student is a legal adult. We know you’re still guiding and protecting y…
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Often beneficiary designations are used for assets like retirement plans, life insurance policies, and bank accounts. You can even use a beneficiary designation on vehicles and a transfer on death (TOD) for real estate. When you pass away, those asse…
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Communicating your estate plan with your loved ones can preserve family relationships after you pass away. You may not want to share details like your net worth or who is getting what, but you should consider talking about how your assets will be div…
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Do you listen to podcasts? We’re excited to announce that Richard has recently launched a new weekly podcast, “Protecting your Family’s Future.” As you might guess, the podcast is all about estate planning and how it’s used to prote…
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We’ve all heard horror stories about family fights over a deceased loved one’s property. Sometimes these fights can ruin relationships for years to come and even negatively affect future generations. You’ve worked hard and spent years cultivati…
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Estate planning is the process of creating a strategy for the care and management of your property if you become incapacitated or upon your death. A common motivation of estate planning is to simplify the estate administration process and protect you…
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Download our free “Estate Planning Checklist: The Essential Guide for Making your Best Estate Plan in Ohio.” The checklist walks you through the steps you need to address to have the plan that is right for you and your loved ones.
Put in its most simple terms, estate planning involves putting your affairs in order so as to maximize the benefits that your assets can provide to you during your life and to those you desire to benefit from it after your death. Estate pla… Read More
What Does a Proper Estate Plan Include?
A proper estate plan to provide for the needs of your family may include:
An adequate Will or Trust
A written agreement concerning the status of your assets
If you already have an estate plan, it should not be considered permanent. Conditions, as well as your desires, may change. Estate plans should be reviewed at least every two-three years but, additionally, any important change in your life demands… Read More
What Happens if You Don't Have a Will or Trust?
If you do not have a Will or a Trust and have not used other probate-avoiding techniques, upon your death your assets will pass according to the laws of the state which has jurisdiction over your assets. The “state plan” may not provide for th… Read More
What Other Probate Avoiding Techniques Are There In Addition to Living Trusts?
The following methods are often used to avoid probate: joint tenancy title, community property title, bank account trusts, pay on death accounts, life insurance proceeds, retirement proceeds (IRA’S, TSA’S, 401K’s, etc.), retirement pla… Read More
What Should I Bring to My First Meeting?
People often ask what they should bring with them to their initial estate planning consultation (we call this “the Discovery Meeting”) with one of our attorneys.
As we discuss in Our Planning Process, the Discovery Meeting is our oppor… Read More
I Already Have an Estate Plan. Why Should I Think About Changing It?
We find that many people already have an estate plan, but it does not meet their current planning needs. They may have a Will that was prepared many, many years ago, or they may have a trust that prepared more recently, but those plans may not be… Read More
What Does an Estate Plan Cost?
As you might imagine, we get that question all the time. It is a difficult question to answer because fees are determined by the type of plan we put together, and that is determined by your goals, objectives and asset mix. The planning fees can ra… Read More
How Much of an Estate Do I Need to Have In Order to Set Up a Trust?
There is no “bright line rule” for determining whether a person needs a trust as a part of their planning. The answer for any particular person will depend on their own planning needs and planning goals.